Up To The Task?

A detailed Summary of Up To The Task?


In the beginning of the second book of The Republic of Plato, Glaucon and Adeimantus both issue challenges to Socrates regarding justice. The first challenge issued is Glaucon's. Glaucon asks of Socrates that he prove that, "it is in every way better to be just than unjust" (35). Glaucon then takes up Thrasymachus' argument and furthers it with a description of the perfectly just and the perfectly unjust man, and the tale of the ring of Gyges. Adeimantus contributes to Glaucon's challenge, saying to Socrates, "So, don't only show us by the argument that justice is stronger than injustice, but show what each in itself does to the man who has it-whether t is noticed by gods and human beings or not-that makes the one good and the other bad" (44). To answer the brothers' challenge, Socrates states that it would be better for them to find justice in a city than to find it in an individual. Thus, Socrates creates the city


of sows, and the city of the guardians.

In the feverish city, the citizens have the choice of being unjust. Therefore, to create justice in the feverish city, Socrates purifies it, and creates a class of "guardians" to protect the city from both enemies without and the unjust within. Socrates then examines the purified city and shows that, through specific types of education, that the purified city is a just one. Glaucon and Adeimantus are satisfied by this argument, and seem to accept that Socrates has met their initial challenge, but he has not done so. In book III, Socrates makes a point to say that, even among the guardians, there are some who love the city more than others, and are, therefore, more in harmony with the common good, a concept that returns at the end of book IV when Socrates suggests that a philosopher king would be such a person. The implications of Socrates statement in book III should greatly affect Glaucon and

Some common words found in the essay are:
Gyges Adeimantus, Glaucon Adeimantus, Adeimantus Socrates, Glaucon Adeimantus', Glaucon Socrates, IV Socrates, III Socrates, , purified city, city sows, glaucon adeimantus, city socrates, book iv, brothers' challenge, socrates creates, feverish city, city book iv, city perfect, perfect harmony, brothers' challenge socrates, socrates creates city,

Approximate Word count = 637
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Politics

join now Save Paper

Related Essays

  • Formation of Protocells ... Each cell had taken up a specific task and only did that task. Thus all these little cells began to change to enable it to do its task more easily. ... 806 words
  • Medical Revolutions ... Whether good, bad, or indifferent, the doctors were needed and just about every device was tried to keep up supply, a task compounded by frequent absenteeism. ... 1041 words
  • The Milgram Experiment ... commander Major Trapp explained the orders to the battalion, but provided an exceptional offer ampquotany of the older men who did not feel up to the task that lay ... 3163 words
  • Columbus ... When put up to the task of being the governor of this new land, he failed miserably. Marshall 53 Columbus made all the wrong decisions. ... 651 words
  • russiaamp39s response to the world drug problem ... drugs leave the country. The way to do this is to set up an international task force on drug suppression. With the availability of ... 998 words

Professional Essays

  • The Purpose of a Book: A Case Study ... also make sense. He is using poetic language, poetic discourse, to do the work prose, and it is not up to the task. In the same ... 1064 words
  • WWII German Reserfe Police Battalion in Poland ... On page 2, he writes, Trapp then made an extraordinary offer: if any of the older men among them did not feel up to the task that lay before him, he could ... 1557 words
  • Romantic Elements in Beowulf ampamp The Hobbit ... from the monsters. Both prove up to the task, although Beowulf meets his death in the process, while Bilbo survives. They are both ... 1648 words
  • Task Group Development ... during the first meeting, my task group was able to arrive at a preliminary consensus about our first step in the research process: to set up interviews with ... 2444 words
  • Maxim Gorkyamp39s My Universities ... 153. The revolutionaries of Gorkyamp39s time were not yet up to the task of energizing the nation to accept their view of life. Gorkyamp39s ... 1494 words
  • Socrates Liberal Arts College ... The first step in the implementation plan is to recruit an interested and dedicated businessman or businesswoman from the community to head up the task force. ... 1954 words


Saved Paper

Save your papers so you can locate them quickly!

Newest Essays

Testimonials

  • "Thank You So Much!!! You have saved me once again!!!"
    Jack M.
  • "With so many papers to chose from, I was able to get ideas to help me with all of my classes. Thank You!"
    Brian P.
  • "I've used this site for the last 3 years to help me come up with ideas for my papers."
    Sara J.
  • "I use this site every week to help me write my own papers!"
    Rachel W.
  • "I love this site!!!"
    Marie N.
Home Join Now Support
Acceptable Use Policy About us FAQ
All papers are for research and reference purposes only!
© 2002-2009 DirectEssays.com. All Rights Reserved.